


this time i'll stick the landing

by ManaGummi



Category: Kingdom Hearts (Video Games)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Sappy, letting your best friend fall in the sand with a wounded ego, sap, trust fall
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-01
Updated: 2020-07-01
Packaged: 2021-03-05 01:08:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,416
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25015996
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ManaGummi/pseuds/ManaGummi
Summary: According to Sora’s mother  -who Sora knew to be the authority on all things involving time, math, and snacks- Riku would be out of school and back at his house at “some point in the afternoon” and that they would “go see him after dinner, Sora, you have to be patient.” However, dinner was a very long way away, and Sora couldn’t remember the last time he had spent a whole, entire day without Riku.----------------The thrill of falling should end with the comfort of being caught. Sometimes you just need a do-over to get it right.
Relationships: Riku/Sora (Kingdom Hearts)
Comments: 14
Kudos: 84





	this time i'll stick the landing

According to Sora’s mother -who Sora knew to be the authority on all things involving time, math, and snacks- Riku would be out of school and back at his house at “some point in the afternoon” and that they would “go see him after dinner, Sora, you have to be patient.” However, dinner was a very long way away, and Sora couldn’t remember the last time he had spent a whole,  _ entire _ day without Riku.

(He was convinced that such an event had actually never occurred since the beginning of the universe, at which point his mother politely reminded Sora that he was only five years old, so he really had no way to prove his claim.)

A day without Riku sounded like the worst thing ever, especially when Sora knew his best friend was stuck at school -which also sounded like the worst thing ever- and wouldn’t even be allowed to come play pirates on the beach afterwards. Sora’s mother remained firm that Sora would  _ not _ go sit on the porch of Riku’s house to wait until he got home, and that he  _ would _ go play with his other friends who weren’t at school and still wanted to see him. Sora put on his mightiest frown, stuffed his hands in the pockets of his shorts, and dragged his feet the entire way to the docks where his dad waited to row him to the play island.

Later, after Sora had very patiently eaten all of his dinner, including all the vegetables he hated, his mother finally slipped on her worn shoes, took Sora by the hand, and walked him down the familiar streets to Riku’s house. It took every bit of willpower in Sora’s tiny body to keep from sprinting the final block, because even though the day was mostly boring and terrible without Riku, he  _ had _ learned something cool from Tidus that he was dying to share. That single shred of willpower collapsed the instant Sora saw Riku poke his head out of his front door, and before his mom could stop him, Sora bolted down the last few feet of the sidewalk toward his best friend.

“Riku!” he yelled. “Riku, Riku! I learned something cool today!” Sora hopped up the first two porch steps, delighted to see the curious little tilt of Riku’s head, and after a long, horrible day of waiting, Sora could finally put his newfound knowledge into action. With arms spread wide, Sora jumped up onto the porch landing with a shout. “Trust fall!” 

The plan was perfect, except for the part where Sora’s flip-flop caught on the edge of the final porch step and pitched him forward to meet the hard wood beneath. It was a silly mistake, and one that Sora was certain would earn him a sore nose for the next few days, but right before he smacked into the floor, Riku’s hands gripped him by the shoulders and pushed him upright.

Riku’s eyes were shiny with concern as he looked Sora over, checking for any bumps or bruises. “Are you okay? You gotta be more careful,” he chided. And sure, maybe Riku was right. Tripping hadn’t really been the goal, but Sora was still absolutely ecstatic, because no matter how it had happened-

“You caught me!” Sora shouted. He threw his arms around Riku’s neck and squeezed tight, laughing all the while. “I  _ told _ Tidus that you would, and I was right!”

Sora laughed and laughed, even when Riku told him that he was absolutely crazy and he had no idea what Sora was talking about. Riku had caught him. Plain and simple. That was all that really mattered in the end.

\----------------------------------

Over the next few weeks, on weekends and during evening play dates, Sora and Riku perfected the trust fall. No matter when or where it happened, Riku managed to catch Sora with ease. It very quickly became a source of pride for Sora: if he fell, Riku would catch him without fail. Sora was pretty sure that no one in the history of the  _ entire  _ world had a friend as great and cool and trustworthy as Riku, and Sora couldn’t help but feel a little smug about it.

However, one weekend, when it was just Sora and Riku in the blazing sun of the play island clashing wooden swords, the tables suddenly turned. Sora had just blocked a swing from Riku’s sword when he saw something shiny down near the water. It was probably just a shell or something equally boring, but it seemed kind of pretty. Sora was so focused on the way the light hit whatever it was that he didn’t hear the siren call of “trust fall!” until sand sprayed onto his ankles. Sora blinked, looked down to see what had fallen into the sand at his feet, and saw Riku.

He saw Riku glaring at him.

Oh, no…

“Uh-oh…” Sora muttered, because Riku glared at him a lot, really, but this glare was special. Riku only used this glare when he was really, really mad, and Sora wasn’t an expert, but he had a feeling that letting your best friend fall into the sand was a good reason to pull out the Angry Glare. “I, uh-”

“Really, Sora?” Riku snapped, which might have been more intimidating if he hadn’t been starfished on his back, sand dusting his pouting cheeks.

Sora yelped and crouched down to be closer to Riku, eyes wide and apologetic. “I’m sorry! I wasn’t expecting it!”

A huff of air blew Riku’s sandy bangs off his face, revealing his narrowed eyes. “Isn’t that the  _ point? _ ”

Oh, yeah. That kinda  _ was _ the point.

“Rikuuuu!” Sora whined. “I’m really, really sorry! I promise I’ll catch you next time! I swear!”

Riku huffed again and, ignoring Sora’s outstretched hand, pulled himself up and onto his feet. “Nuh-uh, I’m done with that stuff. It’s boring now anyway.” He shot Sora a quick look as he brushed sand off his shorts, almost like he was looking for something, before sniffing and turning away. “C’mon, let’s go get one of the snacks your mom packed.” Riku stomped further down the beach, Sora trailing close behind while he begged for a retry.

For the next month, Sora stayed on high alert for a second chance at the trust fall, sure that Riku had only been joking and that he would absolutely try it again. 

Yet, true to his word, Riku never did.

\---------------------------

The thing about the island wind was that it seemed so much sweeter after fighting a harrowing intergalactic war. Sora had a newfound gratitude for the salty breeze that caressed his hair now, because after spending so much time searching and fighting and being kind of sort of dead, Sora had learned that moments of peace and quiet were special, sacred things.

Island wind was even  _ sweeter _ when Sora had his best-friend-turned-boyfriend beside him on the old paopu tree. Riku’s weight against Sora’s shoulder was grounding and comfortable in every way Sora needed, and as they watched the sun dip below the horizon Sora took a moment to bask in the fact that they were both safe, together, and alive. He could tell Riku was dozing beside him, relaxed and at ease in the fading light, and the simple intimacy of the moment was so  _ deep _ , pure in a way Sora didn’t realize he’d been missing. Sora sighed in contentment as the wind ruffled his hair again, his heart full with love and the joy of being alive.

“Hey,” Riku’s sleep-rough voice rumbled. Sora hummed in response, flicking his eyes over to see the stalwart, safe profile of his most precious person. Riku’s gaze was still half-lidded, locked on the horizon, but Sora heard him loud and clear when his mouth tilted into a little smile and he whispered, “Trust fall.”

Sora leaned back on instinct, gently guiding Riku as he shifted and fell over into Sora’s lap. Sora brought one hand up to comb through the soft strands of Riku’s hair, and he felt Riku fully relax against him. With his head pillowed on one of Sora’s thighs, Riku was all soft sweetness, all familiar warmth. A smile of his own bloomed on Sora’s face, and he idly twirled a lock of silver hair around one finger, content and safe in this moment. Careful not to jostle the boy in his lap, Sora leaned down to press a kiss into Riku’s temple before whispering gently into his ear.

“Gotcha this time.”

**Author's Note:**

> yesterday i went on a fic adventure with Kaddi in which we both wrote fics around the same scenario. they posted their part yesterday and i adore it and you should read it! now, here is mine.
> 
> feel free to come yell with me on twitter @managummi


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